9 Checking In
It’s all well and good to gauge the success of the course at the midpoint, and again at the end, but if you are using a new digital tool, you should check in much earlier and much more often. If you’re using the tool consistently over the course of the term (a best practice you can find out more about in “Using the Technology Consistently”), you will provide the greatest opportunity to validate (and learn from!) your students’ experiences if you check in after each usage (if it is an assignment-based tool) or frequently up front and then approximately every three-to-four weeks (if it is an overarching learning platform).
Consider building a brief reflection on both the tool and its particular usage in that activity into key assignments so that you will have immediate feedback with which to make any necessary adjustments in the short term. This will also provide you with meaningful data that you can use at the end of the term to evaluate the success of technology as a tool for your course (see “Reflecting” for more on this process).